"A stage that is tailor-made for Vingegaard" - Jan Bakelants doesn't believe Tour de France is yet over

Stage 19 is perhaps the hardest of the Tour de France and a big opportunity for Jonas Vingegaard to try and turn the race around. it is a very hard task but one that is not impossible; a few analysts argue that the Dane can put Tadej Pogacar under pressure today with the climbs being better suited to his abilities.

"A stage that is tailor-made for Vingegaard, terrain on which the lighter rider of the 'Big Three' has an advantage. Especially in combination with the warm racing conditions. Visma can use its scientific superiority and convert it into an advantage over the competition. I believe that something is still possible," Jan Bakelants argues for Het Laatste Nieuws. The stage features three long ascents, high-altitude and this in the third week of a Grand Tour where fatigue always becomes a big factor.

Although at the same time, the former Belgian pro knows that Vingegaard could also suffer on these days, taking into consideration his non-ideal preparation for the race - as was the case with Pogacar last year. "If there is a turnaround, it will primarily be the result of the fact that we are no longer dealing with the very best Vingegaard. That the narrow base with which he started in Florence will be fatal for him or that he is perhaps becoming a little ill. But until further notice I am not assuming that".

The two enter this day with 3:11 minutes separating them and it's unlikely that this time can be made up in the final two days of the race. Annemiek van Vleuten also argued: "We are also going to extreme altitude, 2800 meters. After 2500 meters, the deficit also increases exponentially. Sometimes I was overtaken by local cyclists in Colombia (in altitude, ed.). Pogacar has also shown that he is sometimes less good at that. Because of that deficit. We are going to sit on the edge of our seats".